How Should I Eat? A Quick Guide.

Vegetables group; Eat seasonal/colorful vegetables and feel super!

1. Increase your vegetable consumption with fresh, frozen, dried or canned options.
2. Choose colorful vegetables, such as dark green, red & orange to acquire lots of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
3. Steam, sautée or pan-fry your veggies! Add healthy fat with small amounts of olive, grape seed oil or canola oil.
4. When desiring French fries, choose oven baked sweet potato or baking potato fries as a healthy replacement.

Fruit group: Buy fresh, seasonal fruit for best price and flavor!

1. Use frozen berries and make a healthy shake for breakfast.
2. Mix dried fruit with some walnuts for a quick snack.
3. Make a banana, orange and strawberry fruit salad for dessert.

Grain Group: Choose whole grain over refined grain!

Instead of this           Eat that 

White bread        Whole wheat(ww) bread, ww pita, ww naan bread, ww lavash bread.

White rice            Brown/wild rice, amaranth, barley, bulgur, millet, quinoa or whole wheat couscous

Flour tortilla        Yellow or blue  corn tortilla, oat, spelt or whole wheat tortilla

Sugary cereal        Oatmeal /oatmeal squares, bran cereal, whole wheat puffed rice

Noodles                  Whole wheat pasta, buckwheat pasta, corn pasta, quinoa.

• Whole grains are a great source of dietary fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium.

Dairy group: Get your dairy without the fat!

1. Dairy products are a great source of calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.
2. Make your dairy choice low fat or fat-free and lower your overall intake of saturated fats, which might lead to elevated cholesterol and heart diseases.
3. Choose a diet rich in fruit and vegetables to protect your bones. If you don’t include dairy, get plenty of leafy greens, like kale, for vitamin K and choose calcium fortified soy milk or tofu.

Did you know?

• AAP recommends Whole milk only for 1-2-year-olds due to high-energy needs and rapid growth.
• Low Fat (1%) or Fat-Free (Skim) milk is recommended after the age of two to prevent heart disease.

 Healthy Protein group: Go lean with protein!

1. Choose beans or soy options. (edamame, tofu, tempeh, beans of all colors and lentils)
2. Eat at least 2 serving of fish a week. (salmon, light tuna, sardines, trout etc.)
3. Buy skinless chicken breasts and turkey.
4. Choose lean/extra lean beef, such as eye round roast and steak, sirloin tip side steak, top round roast, and steak.
5. Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork, and lamb) to special occasions.
6. Use nuts (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews) and seeds (buckwheat, durum, oats) as a side dish to any meal.

• For portion control and balance, make sure to start each meal with a side salad and finish it up with a fruit cup!